The Xenns Mangird Tea2 is a hybrid 7-driver IEM (In-Ear Monitor). It’s the follow up to the popular Mangird Tea earphone. The Tea2 has one dynamic driver and 6 balanced armatures. It retails for $349.

Disclaimer: This sample was provided by Linsoul for the purpose of an honest review. All observations and opinions here are my own based on my experience with the product.

Xenns Mangird Tea2

Specifications

• Impedance: 18Ω
• Sensitivity: 110dB/mW
• Frequency Response Range: 20-36000Hz
• Price: $349

Package and Accessories

The Tea2 comes in a fairly large box enclosed in a purple cardboard sleeve. The actual box is high-quality black cardboard with a textured surface. There’s a decent amount of accessories inside including:

• Xenns Mangird Tea2 IEM
• Detachable 8-strand 2-pin 6N OCC Litz cable
• Faux leather carrying case
• Shirt clip
• Airplane adapter
• 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter
• 2x pairs of foam eartips (S, M)
• 3x pairs of black silicone eartips (S, M, L)
• 3x pairs of translucent eartips (S, M, L)
• Documentation

Design

The Xenns Mangird Tea2 shells are made from cured medical-grade resin in a pseudo custom shape. The faceplates are black with silver Mangird text on them and opalescent flashes of blue and green on them. Each faceplate is handcrafted, meaning that each and every unit has a truly unique design.

There’s a single vent on the top side of the IEM just behind the 2-pin sockets. The aluminium nozzles have a prominent lip to securely hold eartips in place and a protective mesh cover to keep out ear wax and debris.

When it comes to comfort, the Tea2 feels good for me. It’s a tiny bit larger than the original Tea and sits flush with the outer part of my ears. I can comfortably wear these for hours at a time. Noise isolation is good too, making them ideal for commuting and other noisy environments.

The end result is a gorgeous IEM that’s low-key from a distance but looks premium up close. The included 8-strand 2-pin 6N OCC Litz cable is a good fit for the Tea2.

It has a uniform braid, matching aluminium components and a transparent plastic chin slider. The cable handles really well; it doesn’t tangle easily and has minimal microphonics. It’s available with 2.5mm, 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations.

Sound

Gear used for testing includes the iFi Micro iDSD Signature, Cayin RU6 and Soundaware M2Pro.

Tea2 has a balanced presentation that highlights vocals and midrange instruments but still has enough bass and treble to create a dynamic sound. The bass, mids and treble are all fairly evenly without any particular band sounding dominant.

The Tea2 is an efficient IEM, meaning it doesn’t require a powerful source or additional amplification: it will work fine straight from a phone, laptop or dongle DAC but scales well with better gear.

Bass

Like its predecessor, the Tea2 has a bass that’s boosted just north of neutral. It has a slight emphasis on the sub-bass but transitions smoothly into the mid-bass. The sub-bass rumbles with controlled authority and can surprise you with its unexpected low growl.

Mid-bass notes are punchy and tight, neutral in nature and tight in their conveyance. There’s excellent bass definition with, clean leading edges and fast decays and no signs of bloat or bleeding into the mids.

It’s a bass that audiophiles will love for its clean lines and speed but enthusiasts might wish for more upper-bass body to bolster engagement. Its bottom end extension, however, is technically on point and visceral in its delivery.

Midrange

The Tea2’s sound revolves around its midrange where the core instruments and vocals reside. Its mids are close to neutral with just a wisp of added warmth for smoothness. Midrange notes float within a black background, benefiting from the Tea2’s exemplary instrument separation and overall resolution.

The Tea2 doesn’t add any extra colour or vigour to its slightly forward vocals but they have good articulation and clarity, coupled with a natural note size. Male and female vocals have good detail but they’re not very intimate as it feels like you’re positioned several rows back from the stage.

Treble

The Mangird Tea2’s treble tuning fits in beautifully with the bass and midrange. It’s slightly forward but dips strategically at 5kHz and 10kHz which removes any harshness while maintaining an accurate timbre. It’s a treble designed for musicality over absolute precision and one with more shimmer than sparkle.

While the focus is on the lower treble, the overall extension is good, adding clarity to the midrange and providing ample detail throughout the audio spectrum. Although it doesn’t sparkle, the treble is far from being dull and works nicely with the midrange to make a clear but musical sound.

Soundstage and Technicalities

The Tea2’s soundstage is larger than average. It reaches far in width and depth in almost equal proportions with a good amount of height sprinkled in. Left and right stereo separation is good, as is the imaging, though I’d stop short of calling it holographic due to the slightly diffused nature of the treble.

Comparisons

Mangird Tea

Compared to the original Mangird Tea (review here) the Tea2 has the same driver configuration but comes with an upgraded dynamic driver. The differences between the two IEMs are many but the key changes are mostly in the mid-bass and treble tuning.

The Tea has a more defined leading edge on percussion instruments, giving kick drums more slam and a sharper attack on snares. In contrast, the Tea2 has more fullness and rounder bass notes but doesn’t hit with the same impact as the Tea.

Both IEMs are similar in tone throughout the midrange but again the Tea2 has more body in the lower mid bands. The Tea, on the other hand, has slightly drier lower mids but presents vocals in a more upfront manner. This is due partly to Tea’s leaner bass and laid-back treble which brings the mids forward.

The Tea has a more severe dip in the lower treble making it smoother albeit slightly less detailed. Tea2’s treble has better extension and more energy which gives it better detail although the overall resolution is about the same. In addition, the Tea2’s boosted treble creates a larger soundstage that’s more spacious but less intimate than the original model.

Verdict

From out of the blue, the Xenns Mangird Tea2 came to fill a void that we didn’t even know existed. Despite its similarities to the original Mangird Tea, the Tea2 does enough different to be a worthy successor. Not only that but it improves on the original which was already an outstanding IEM. If you’re shopping for something in its price range, you should definitely put the Tea2 on your shortlist.